Monday, March 29, 2010

Although Spring is just around the corner (I hope), we had a cold spell in Ottawa last week dipping down to -21˚ Celsius (-6˚ Fahrenheit). Last week, I felt like making this hearty, flavourful chowder filled with bacon, chicken and potatoes scented with thyme.

"Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation."

— Clementine Paddleford

In a chowder, the potatoes perform the thickening. This one contains both potatoes and cream. At the end of the cooking, if the soup isn't thick enough, you just have to mash some of the potatoes in the soup to thicken the broth. The type of potato you use will change its consistency as well. Russet potatoes, with its brown (russet) skin, have a higher starch content and will help thicken this chowder.

Although this chowder contains bacon, which is salty, you'll need to season with lots of salt to bring out all the flavors.

Fry the bacon until crisp and golden brown. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.

Add the butter, the diced onion, celery and red bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not brown.

Add the potatoes and 4 cups of stock. The stock should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn’t, add enough water to cover. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Add the thyme leaves. Cover and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the stock hasn’t thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and cook a minute or two longer to release their starch.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chicken meat. Stir in the cream (or stock). Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and a bit of cayenne pepper if you like. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it as chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavours to meld.

When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don’t let it boil. Use a slotted spoon to mound the chicken, onions, potatoes, celery, bell pepper, and bacon in the centre of large soup plates or shallow bowls, and ladle the creamy stock around. Sprinkle each serving with a generous spoonful of sliced green onions.

Tasting Notes
This chowder is so good that friends of ours who don't eat bacon (or any animal with eyelashes), took a bite and went for seconds. It's that good. What you see in the photos, is my leftover chowder enhanced another day with rice. Although I don't normally eat rice and potatoes together, this left-over chowder is very forgiving.

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comments:

oh my! -21? hope it warms up soon. we have been getting strange weather in Toronto, too. i love this soup, particularly bec it uses potato as a thickener. i really dislike it when you get spoonfuls of flour or cornstarch thickened chowder. this is lovely- am a huge fan of chowder. love it, shall try it but will have to omit the bacon (I dont eat pork for religious reasons). x shayma

Next time try using leeks instead of onions and ham instead of bacon. And instead of cream you can use milk along with the chicken stock. I use potatoes as well and sweetcorn and peas. And if you are in a hurry, use precooked barbecued chicken. To thicken the soup I put in some plain flour with the potatoes but mashing the potatoes works as well. Good blog. Happy cooking